Body covering for resisting temperature extremes



Dec. 7, 1 943. j R, A, MORSE, 5R 2,335,873

BODY COVERING FOR RESISTING TEMPERATUREEXTREMES Filed June 17. 1941 2sheets-sheet 1 Dec. 7, 1943. R. A. MORSE, s I

BODY covERING FOR REsIsTING 4TEMPEMTURE EXTREMES Filed June 1'?, 1941Z-Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 7, 1943 BODY covEmNG Fon REsIs'rINGTEMPEmrrUmi EXTREMES Reginald A. Morse, Sr., Cranston, R. I.

Application June 17, 1941, Serial No.'398,475

claims.

Thisinvention relates generally to the class of garments and pertainsparticularly to improvements in garments or body coverings designed forthe protection of the body against extremes of temperature.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improvedbody covering or garment which is constructed in a novelmanner to enablea wearer to go into or to remain in situations where the temperature ofthe atmosphere may be excessively high or excessively low, withoutdanger, thus enabling the wearer to perform duties which would otherwisebe impossible even by the use of present day fire-resisting orcoldresisting garments.

More specically, the present invention has for an object to provide animproved material which may be made up into agarment designed tocompletely envelop the body or into a Yblanket form of garment whichcan' be drawn'around the body and over the head, which will withstanddirect contact with ame without becoming ignited and which will alsoresist the transmission of heat through from the side which is in directcontact with ame to the opposite side so that a person wearing a garmentconstructed of the material can remain in direct contact with or closeproximity to burning materials at high temperatures without having thetemperature of the air within the garment raised materially above thatof body temperature.

Still another object is to provide a fire-resisting and cold-resistinggarment constructed of a novel material and novel design, which willenable the wearer to go into smoke or gas-lled locations and remaintherein without ill effect for longer periods than is possible at thepresent time by the use of known types of garmentswhich completelyenclose the body, such action being made possible by the provision of anoxygen supplying means and carbon dioxide venting means for the garment.l

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it being understood, however, that the invention is not to beconsideredr as limited by the specic illustration or description butthat such illustration and description constitutes a preferredembodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig, 1 is a View in front elevation of abody protecting garmentconstructed Vin accordance with the present invention,parts of thestructure being broken away.

lio

with portions in section. v

Fig'. 3 is a sectional View taken substantially on tli'e line'3-3 ofFig. 1. A

Fig. 4 is a detailed view partly in elevation and partly in section of amitten forming a part of the garment.

Fig. 5-is a detailed sectional the' garment.

Fig.v 6 is a sectional yView taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 4 and showingthe construction of the material of which the garment is made up andthe` manner of joining edges of the saine.

Fig. '7 is a view in plan of a body protecting blanket made up of thematerialY illustrated i detail in Fig. 6. v v

\ Fig. 8 is a view in elevation of the blanket in the form which itassumes when folded about the body. v y

Fig. 9 is a View in front elevation of the blanket showing how the topcorners are folded in to formthe head-protecting hoodplor' to folding inthe sides. l

Fig. 10 isya sectional view on the line Ill-I6 ofv Fig. 7', showing thedetails of constructionof thematerial.'V H y 'l Fig. 1l is a sectionalView on the line li-ll of Fig. 8 Q

Referring now more particularly to the drawf ings, a description willfirst be given of the garment shown in Figs. lrto 6 inclusive. YThisgarmentv ,isY constructed of the specially prepared material hereinafterdescribed in detail and here indicatedby the reference character M. VThegarment which is designed to cover the entire body comprises the bodyportion l which is formed in one piece from the feet to theneck. Theportion 2 covers the trunk or torso while the legs 3 are'shaped at thelower ends to form the foot covering portions 4 which, as shown in Fig'.5, are joined to relatively thick soles 5, which are formed of WoodwhichA has been given a''reproofing treatment of a suitable character.HAs shown lin Fig. 5, the lower edges of the legs are drawn in betweenthe sole 5 and an inner sole 6 wherethey are secured in a suitablemanner' so that gases and heat cannot pass through into the lower endsof the legs of the garment. rlhe soles 5 are preferably formed of somesuitable lightweight wood such as balsa wood or the like, and are ofsubstantial thickness so that the wearer` may go into wet areas ofsubstantial depth without having to stand in Water.

The arms or sleeves of the garment are indi# cated by the numeral l andthese terminate in Fig, 2 is a View in side elevation of the garmentView of a foot of mittens 8 which are here shown as being integral partsof the sleeves. However, it is contemplated that these mittens may beformed separate as gauntlets which may be readily removed, in which caseany suitable well known means would be provided for tightly securing theends of the sleeves around the wrists of the wearer.

Where the mittens 8 are an integral part of the sleeves, means areprovided for the extension of the hand to the outside of the garment sothat the wearer of the suit will be able to more readily perform dutieswhich would be difcult to perform with the hand covered. Such means forbaring the hand comprises the provision of a slit 9 in the inner or palmside of each mitten which is covered on the inner side of the mitten bya iap Il) which the wearer of the mitten can work back to uncover theslitso that the hand may be thrust through the slit when necessary.

When the flap is in position over the slit, it will be seen that theentrance of gases 4into the garment will be effectively prevented. Theupper part of the suit or garment has a turtle neck I I which encirclesthe lower part of a head covering helmet I2, which is formed of the samematerial as the body portion of the suit and which has a window I3 ofsuitable transparent material which will withstand high or lowtemperatures. Any suitable means such as the collar I 4 may be employedfor maintaining close contact between the neck and the lower part of thehelmet.

The suit is interiorly reinforced by straps or bands I 5 of leather orsuitable heavy tight-woven fabric which are secured to the inner side ofthe material to extend across each shoulder of the wearer and down thefront and back of the garment as is shown in Fig. 1. These strapsprovide a suitable reinforcement which relieves, to a, certain extent,the drag or weight of the garment on the shoulders of the wearer.

The helmet l2, which, as stated, is made of the same material M as thebody of the garment, is provided with a suitable vent V in the topthereof. Upon the inside of the helmet there is secured a head engagingcap C which may be formed of a light metal or a stiff buckram which ismaintained in spaced relation with the inner wall of the helmet byspaced wedges I2a of cork, balsa wood or other suitable material so thatfoul air may pass upwardly around the head and out through the openingV,

Upon the outer side of the helmet there is located over thevent openingV, a shield plate S Which is maintained in spaced relation with the topof the helmet by suitable studs S which are-secured to the material ofthe helmet by rivets or in any other suitable manner. This shield plateS protects the opening in the top of the helmet from re and heat and theescaping foul air from within the helmet and garment will prevent smokeor other air entering the helmet.

In addition to this helmet vent, other venting means are provided, ashereinafter specically described. b

Each side of the suit is provided beneath the arms with one or more ventopenings I6 and these openings are controlled by slip valves I'I, whichare in the form of strips of suitably stiff material which are hingedlyconnected at their upper ends to the under side of the adjacent sleeveat I8, and are run through suitable guide loops I9, so as to be held inclose contact with the side of the garment. Such valve strips haveopenings corresponding in number with the openings in the wall of thegarment and arranged to aline with such openings when the sleeve isbrought in against the side of the body by the wearer of the suit, thusmaking it possible for the wearer, by bringing his arms in tight againstthe body, to open the vents and permit stale air to be exhausted fromwithin the suit. The expulsion of such stale air will be assisted whenthe arms are drawn in against the sides of the body, by pressing thesuit inwardly so as to decrease the air space between the suit and Y.ythe body.

In order that the wearer of the suit may be protected against theexhaustion of oxygen within the suit when the latter is worn insmoke-filled or otherV gas-filled places for a considerable length oftime, there is provided within the suit a tank 2| which is filled withoxygen under pressure.z From this tank an exhaust pipe 22 is carriedunder the arm to the front of the suit and extended upwardly toterminate in close proximity to` the mouth or nose of the wearer. Avalve 23 located in the pipe 22 is provided with a suitable control stem24 which extends through a suitable opening in the front wall of thegarment so that the wearer of the suit may turn on and oi the valve asnecessary.

The material M of which the suit or garment I and the hereinafterdescribed blanket are constructed is shown in detail in Fig. 6. Thismaterial comprises an outer layer or covering 25 of woven asbestosfabric. Overlying the inner face of this asbestos layer is a covering ofa suitable light-weight or thin fabric 2t which has been suitablytreated to make it thoroughly waterproofVand're-proof. Placed againstthe second layer o f water-proof fabric 25 is a bat layer 21 of rockwool which provides not only a very eiiective non-inflammable protectionbut more importantly, a positive insulation against the passage of heatthrough the material of the garment. The fibers or laments of this rockwool, when assembled in a bat, maintain innumerable air chambers in thestructure which form the desired highly eiiicient insulation. The innerside of the bat of insulating rock wool is covered with a layer28 o iflannel.

While rock wool is preferred as the insulation layer 21, sheeps-wool orother fibrous material having a high insulation value may be employed,especially where extremely high temperatures or direct exposure to flamemay not be encountered, but rock wool is essential where such extremelyhigh temperatures may be encountered with directI exposure to or contactwith name.

In order that the several layers of the material may be effectivelysecured together and in order particularly that the bat of rock wool maybe secured between the layers of woven fabric so that it willnot becompressed to any great extent, the several layers of the fabric and thebat are all secured together to form the solid sheet of material by theuse of wire staples 29 which are placed at suitable intervals throughoutthe material. .These staples and this method of securing the layerstogether also prevent the wool bat from shifting and gradually sinkingand packing in the lower part of the suit.

As shown in Fig. 6, the edges of the woven material extend beyond theedges of the rock wool bat and these edges are secured together andadjacent edges of sections of the material are likewise securedtogether, as shown in this `figure, by wire stitching 30.

The front of the garment is adapted to -be zsaszs 3 opened to facilitatedonning the same and in order that this opening may be effectivelyclosed, one edge thereof isprovided with a flapv 3l and suitablefasteners in the form of hooks or of the well known slide or automatictype may be provided for securing the edges of the opening together, andwhen so secured, it will be readily seen that the nap coacts with theinner edge part 32 of the opening to form a recess or slot 33 ofV-cross-section, in which the opposite edge portion 34 of the opening issecured.

Under circumstances where the garment must encounter contact with Wateras, for example, where the same is worn by seamen or other persons whoseduties require that they be constantly exposed to dampness, the outsidelayer or lamination 25 of asbestos may be replaced by a layer of rubberor rubberized fabric.

The rock wool bat not only withstands high temperatures and forms aneffective insulation wall against the passage of heat through thematerial, but it is also highly non-absorbent of moisture.

It will be seen from the foregoing, that the suit herein described, dueto its high insulation characteristic as well as to its ability toresist extremely high temperatures, may be effectively worn by personswho have to go into burning buildings or other places where hightemperatures are met with and also by persons who are required to gointo extremely low or sub-zero temperatures such as explorers and thelike, and the garment is particularly well suited for use by seamen whomay have to stand watch during extremely cold weather.

In Figs. 7 to 11 inclusive, there is shown a body protecting structureor garment in the form of a blanket 35, which blanket is alsoconstructed of the material M. In Fig. 10, the details of the materialare illustrated where the asbestos outer fabric is indicated by thenumeral 3%, the waterproofed second layer is indicated by the numeral31, while the inner layer of Wool material is indicated by the numeral38. In between the wool inner layer and the water-proofed and nreproofedlayer 3S is the bat layer 39 of rock wool.

The blanket 35 is designed to be folded around the body and to besecured so as to provide an effective covering foi1 the entire body fromthe feet up. To this end the blanket is provided along its top edge witha fastening means consisting of the cooperating portions A and B whichextend in opposite directions from the longitudinal center of theblanket outwardly to a predetermined extent toward the edges of theblanket. At the outer ends of the two portions A and B of the fasteningunit, the edge of the blanket is free, for a short distance, offastening devices, as indicated at 6G, and then there is located alongthe edge adjacent one side of the blanket, one portion C ofA a fasteningmeans which cooperates with a portion D located adjacent the oppositeedge of the blanket outwardly of the space 40.

The blanket is designed to have the upper corners M folded inwardlyalong the oblique lines 42 which have their source at the top edge ofthe blanket on the longitudinal center thereof or at the point where thecoacting fastening elements A-B join. These triangular corners 4i whenfolded in bring together the portions A-B of the central fastening unitand the portions C-D, so that the inturned adjacent edges of the cornerscan be secured together, leaving the portions 4i) of the edgesunattached, so that these edges can be separated by the wearer toprovide asight opening 6 3. The hood thus formed by folding in thetriangular corners 4l is designed to completely cover the head'of thewearer.

In addition to folding in the top corners of the blanket in the mannerdescribed, the side edges ofthe. blanket are also folded in along thelongitudinal lines 44, and these side edges are provided with upper andlower sets of cooperating fastening elements, the two parts or portionsof the upper set being indicated by the characters E and F, while thecooperating portions of the lower set are indicated by the characters Gand II. These sets of fasteners are spaced apart, as shown in Fig. 7, s0asA to provide the edge portions linwhich are free of fastening meansand, consequently, when the portions E-F are joined together and theportions G-I-I are joined together, there will be provided an opening 46between the joined edges through which the hand may be extended.

Adjacent each longitudinal edge of the blanket below the triangularcorner portions, the material has a slit formed therethrough, asindicated at 41, which slit may be closed by a slide fastener or anyother suitable means. These slits lprovide hand openings, as will bereadily apparent.

What is claimed is:

1. A garment of lthe character described, comprising an overall bodycovering formed in one piece from the neck to the feet, said garmenthaving a, closure extending lengthwise from the neck through the torsocovering portion thereof, a head enclosing helmet adapted to be coupledwith the neck portion of the garment, arm encasing sleeves forming partof the garment, mittens connected with and closing the ends of thesleeves, means for supplying oxygen to the interior of the garment, avalve opening through a wall of the garment and adapted to be opened forthe exhaustion of foul air from within the garment, and means couplingsaid valve with a sleeve for effecting opening and closing of the valve.

2. A body covering of the character described, comprising an overallgarment having a, torso, legs and sleeves, said legs being formedintegral with feet enclosing portions, each of said foot enclosingportions having a relatively thick sole, said sleeves terminating inhand enclosing mittens, a head enclosing helmet detachably connectedwith the top of the torso of the garment, the torso portion of thegarment having a closure extending lengthwise thereof facilitating thedonning of the garment, means within the garment for supplying oxygen tothe wearer thereof, and a valve means for facilitating the discharge ofstale air from within the garment, said valve means including ashiftable portion which is operatively connected with a sleeve tofacilitate opening and closing rthe valve by the movement of the sleeverelative to the body.

3. A body protecting garment constructed to completely enclose the bodyfrom head to foot whereby outside air is kept from the wearer, meanswithin the garment for supplying a wearer with oxygen and means` forexhausting stale air from within the garment, comprising a valve openingin the wall of the garment beneath a sleeve thereof and a slide valvemaintained against the said wall of the garment for shifting movementand having operative connection with the adjacent sleeve wherebyshifting of the Valve element is effected upon raising and lowering thesleeve, the valve element having an opening there in which is broughtinto alinement with the firstmentioned opening by the movement of thesleeve to one position whereby stale air may be vented from Within thegarment.

4. A body protective covering of the character described, comprising agarment constructed to completely enclose the human body includinghands, feet and head, the garment including arm receiving Sleeves, meansWithin the garment for supplying oxygen to the wearer thereof, a ventingvalve for facilitating the discharge of stale aii` from within thegarment, said valve including a shiftable portion, and an operativecoupling between the said shiftable portion of the valve and a sleevefor effecting the opening and closing of the valve through the movementof saidshiftable portion, by movement of the sleeve relative to thebody.

5. A body covering as set forth in claim 4, in which the said shiftableportion of the valve comprises an apertured elongated slide membersupper-ted upon the body of the garment for movement of the aperaturethereof into and out of registry with a corresponding aperture in theadjacent wall of the garment, the slide being 1ocated between a sleeveand the wall of the garment, and the operative connection between thesaid shiftable portion and the sleeve joining the upper end of theislidemember with the under side of the sleeve.

REGINALD A. MORSE, SR.

